Apple TV doing well, 2.8 million sold last year with record sales in December

As part of Apple's record breaking Q1 2012 financial results, Apple CEO Tim Cook took the time to break out Apple TV numbers -- 2.8 million sold last year with half of those sales, 1.4 million, coming in the last quarter.

Cook insisted that Apple TV is still a hobby for Apple and while there was pressure to comment on the Apple iTV Television rumors, Cook managed to dodge his way around those questions simply by stating there was nothing else to talk about in that area. Of course, that's what Apple said about phones and tablets, once upon a time.

Reader comments

Apple TV doing well, 2.8 million sold last year with record sales in December

I love my Apple TV and don't understand why it's even more popular than it is. It works great with Netflix. And AirPlay Mirroring is very useful with the iPad2. Now with iTunes Match it has become even more useful. And it's < $100

I'm of the belief that even at $99 some folks have a hard time justifying the purchase. Say if you have an xbox, PS3 or for that matter -- even a Mac or Windows laptop -- the Apple TV offers nothing that they can't do with a 6FT HDMI cable. Not harshing on the AppleTV, I have one and love it but it's just one of those things that I can see a lot of folks overlooking because of what they already have in their household.
That said, I really want a full fledged AppleTV -- make it run apps.

Iown two of the 2nd gen Apple TV units, and I’ve come to a realization about them, and why they might still be considered a “hobby” in Apple’s eyes. Something that, I think, is holding Apple TV back is the fact that despite Apple’s best efforts to control the situation, there’s one key area in which they don’t have control: internet access.
Unfortunately, when the primary function of your device relies on steady, high-bandwidth internet, it’s still a limited market in the US. Where I live, the ABSOLUTE fastest broadband (if you can even call it that) that’s available is 1.5 Mbps. That’s barely fast enough to stream SD quality video, which is a major drawback. Now I know that there’s a decent percentage of people that have access to a standard 10 Mbps stream, but there’s still a large percentage that don’t, and I think it’s hamstringing the Apple TV.
Until the US has a better, more consistent broadband experience, I don’t think we’ll see the Apple TV move out of the “hobby” phase, sadly enough. Here’s hoping that changes within the next few years.